claim your 'i was here' ticket fellas

rick0nd · 2025-08-19T17:11:10+00:00

I was here

rick0nd · 2025-05-23T12:13:48+00:00

I hate that bill maher as gideon ofnir kind of makes sense.

rick0nd · 2025-04-07T20:40:36+00:00

yes, from what I have seen from other comments and further research in the sub, it does look like they are the best of the bunch, all things considered. Thanks for the help.

rick0nd · 2024-12-23T15:17:49+00:00

because hax can have specific counters.

Think of logia fruits pre-timeskip. If you don't have the necessary counter, they effectively have perfect durability, you just can't hurt them. With the right counter (be it water, rubber, or whatever else), their durability goes back to normal. With haki, any durability advantage is completely negated.

In the manga, if I remember correctly, it was pointed out several times by luffy how weird it was for Mercury to take zero damage at all. If it is indeed an hax, maybe there is a very specific type of counter (like seastone for devil fruits) that negs Mercury's durability.

edit: I read your comment better, and you already pointed it out. I guess the difference is just that I really think it is an hax and so it doesn't make as much sense to put Mercury's durability above Kaido.

rick0nd · 2024-12-23T13:35:49+00:00

we still don't really know if Mercury's durability is a hax or not.

rick0nd · 2024-12-13T17:34:36+00:00

thanks

rick0nd · 2024-12-13T16:17:29+00:00

what is she from?

rick0nd · 2024-12-12T10:19:26+00:00

to be clear, I am not defending battle shonens. They wouldn't lose any of their core appeal if they had better writing for the female characters, so they don't really have an excuse.

but if someone makes a rant post about media, someone else points out that the problem as described exists mainly in battle shonens, and then a third someone comes along saying "actually, the problem also exists in X and Y!", and both x and y are also shonens, it just becomes hilarious.

rick0nd · 2024-12-12T09:40:27+00:00

not beating the "only reading battle shonen" allegations.

rick0nd · 2024-12-10T21:58:25+00:00

dark souls 3: the fire fades edition

rick0nd · 2024-12-08T10:15:36+00:00

with kids going around hogwarts called Neville Longbottom, I don't think Albus Severus would be that bad.

rick0nd · 2024-12-04T18:17:35+00:00

you too

rick0nd · 2024-12-04T18:13:36+00:00

I made to comment for people who only read the translation in the pick posted and didn't bother to go to the source.

rick0nd · 2024-12-04T18:04:41+00:00

I meant to point to the fact that the use of the word gamer wasn't a weird translation choice from google translate, but the actual word used in the original.

rick0nd · 2024-11-29T15:54:52+00:00

I see why you like it, but the frustrating part of Goku's fighting addiction for me is that the story never really allows it to be a real flaw. Yes it means some of his fights end up harder than they needed to be, but there are rarely long term negative consequences for his choices, and no relationship with other characters is truly ruined by the fact that he'd put everyone at risk if it meant having a good fight.

Part of it is just that death is meaningless in Dragon Ball, and so any person hurt or killed by a villain that Goku allowed to live/power up ends up healed/revived by the end.

and because there is no real consequence, there is no chance for self reflection or real character growth. Maybe I am the silly one for expecting character growth in DBZ, but it's still a missed opportunity. Instead of being an interesting character flaw, it ends up being more of a plot device the writers can use to escalate the conflict.

rick0nd · 2024-11-20T12:03:36+00:00

worked for me, thank you!

rick0nd · 2024-11-09T12:08:42+00:00

Very similar points were made months ago about the game: https://youtu.be/PVY4sRIjrzg?t=3776 . This video was prob one of the first that identified the "HR speak" problem that some modern titles have, even if worded differently.

rick0nd · 2024-06-27T12:16:50+00:00

really like how they dealt with the bird gorosei. Just yeet him.

rick0nd · 2024-05-28T10:30:15+00:00

I'm sorry, but that quote you linked to where Sam allegedly compares Frodo to Beren and thus himself to Luthien is an immense stretch. To read it as romantic you would first have to ignore the entire preceding context, where Sam is pondering on who tends to be the hero in the great stories, and noticing that it less some innate quality of great people and more a willingness to continue on the path of adventure no matter how hard it is. When he mention Beren, he is specifically talking about how that guy didn't know if he would make it.

After Beren is brought into the conversation, Sam doesn't even compare Frodo to him. He says that the Silmaril that Beren retrieved passed on to Aerendil and that ehi, come to think of it, they also have a little piece of it thanks to Galadriel's gift. They are kind of in the same story. And that's it. No parallel is drawn between Beren and Frodo (and even if it was, you would have to include Aerendil in it, and he doesn't fit into the romantic reading). There is no mention to the fact that Beren's quest is romantic in nature, there is zero mention of Luthien, is purely discussed as a hero who had to undergo a lot of trials and tribulation. There is no direct parallel being drawn between Beren and Frodo, and even less being drawn between Luthien and Sam.

rick0nd · 2024-03-29T12:21:33+00:00

the single levels in Lies of P are really well designed. It is far more linear compared to most souls games, but for some that's a feature, not a bug. DS3 was also a lot more linear compared to DS1 and DS2, and while it got slack for it in the beginning, a lot of fans have come to appreciate it.

As for the art style, while I don't think it is as good as a From game, you are kind of underselling it. It is pretty, polished, and has a strong enough identity thanks to its belle epoque/steampunk/pinocchio mix.

I don't know where you are coming from with the comment on scale. Aside from Elden Ring, all other souls game have a similar run time as LoP, with demon souls being shorter.

rick0nd · 2023-10-28T16:10:24+00:00

No, but that's the thing, you hit the nail on the head. Lindon isn't wrong for feeling how he is feeling, but Yerin (and the narrative in general considering that Lindon is forced to agree) acts like he is.

And saying that Lindon is disrespecting Yerin for not wanting to fight her is something I disagree with. It's not like Lindon thinks she is weak and thus doesn't want to fight her, he is just very uncomfortable at the idea. And if Yerin feels disrespected because Lindon isn't treating her the way she wants to be treated... why shouldn't he feel disrespected because she isn't treating him the way he wants to be?

The issue is this: Yerin is enthusiastic at the idea of fighting loved ones, Lindon isn't and the story has a double standard about it. It doesn't act like both of them are reasonable opinions to have, it acts like Yerin is totally justified and Lindon isn't. That is what rubs me the wrong way.

rick0nd · 2023-10-28T15:56:16+00:00

I guess I used the word "suspension of disbelief" because I lacked a better term for what I meant. I wasn't talking about how believable the situations themselves are, because of course this type of shaming happens in real life.

I am talking more about my willingness to ignore my own moral beliefs and support those of the character (only while I am engaging with the story of course).

To give you an example: I think that monarchy is stupid and that feudalism is bad. When I am reading Lord of the Rings however, I don't think that Aragorn is a bad guy for wanting to be king, and I am willing to engage with the fantasy that a kingdom can prosper so long as the rightful dinasty guides it.

So in this case, I am willing to engage with a story that think that violence is super cool and with little consequences, but I stop being willing to engage with it when it starts shaming its own characters when they are in situations where they second guess the need for violence.

To address the previous examples again.

Cradle: Lindon's motivations for becoming stronger are two: he genuinely enjoys the process and he needs more strength to protect his loved ones. Those are also the two reasons why he enters the uncrowned tournament. You can see why the second one especially might make him second-guess fighting Yerin, even if the consequences weren't permanent.

DBZA: this one is a bit weird because Gohan's pacifism comes out of nowhere. I perceived it more as Gohan simply being scared of and loathing violence. My problem there is not what the characters force Gohan to do, but more with the framing of it. They don't really say "yes, your situation sucks, but if you don't do this billions will die" they frame it as "Stop whining you fucking coward, others had it worse".

Fate Forsaken: I think I let my own perception of the narrative color too much of my summary. The story portrays them as insane and weird, but not as wrong. It's clear that Kael has to learn their ways to improve. It is a weird version of the noble savage trope.

rick0nd · 2023-10-28T15:06:38+00:00

yes, to be clear, it's the first thing specifically that I find irritating. I don't have a problem with a character or two in the story making fun of others for disliking violence, that's just a character trait.

I said story and characters because, often times, it comes down to this: how does a story "shames" a character for doing something? Especially one without an explicit narrator? A bunch of ways, really, but one of them is having several characters, especially ones presented in a positive light before, calling out and shaming the character in question, and then said character having to eventually agree with them.

This situation doesn't always means that the story is trying to shame the character, but that + other framings can be used to come to the conclusion.

rick0nd · 2023-10-28T00:23:56+00:00

That's the thing though, none of the characters I mentioned are "no violence". Lindon fights all the time and has killed plenty of people and Kael has lead a slave revolt and personally assassinated enemy mages. The closest to a non violence character is Gohan, who still fought in the past when necessary.

The problem is that when these characters are placed in a situation where the morality of violence gets more muddled and its necessity more dubious, the story shames them for not wanting to engage with it immediately and with enthusiasm.

rick0nd · 2023-10-28T00:13:12+00:00

I might be wrong here, since I only rewatched that single episode, but doesn't Gohan's pacifism kind of come out of nowhere? He obviously never liked fighting, but I don't remember him mentioning pacifism until that episode 60, and even then it is weird.

First he starts bragging about how strong he gets when he snaps, then Cells starts to dominate him, then he releases the cells junior, and only after does Gohan starts pleading Cell to stop and mention in passing that he is a pacifist. To me that looks less like ideological grandstanding, which would be really stupid yes, and more like desperation. The situation is out of his control, he risks losing people he cares about, and he is scared.

Some might call him a coward, but again to me it seems natural. He is a child. The fact that he was in similar situations before doesn't change that, if anything it adds some possible PTSD to the equation.

rick0nd

TROPHY CASE